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Monday, November 14, 2011

"I had my protective shell of funny talk and shyness, but underneath that lived a wilder me, a girl who would take punishment, and take it, and take it, but who would never let go of herself all the way, never completely surrender" (87).

Marjorie Richards knows all about fear. The 17-year-old can't go home without feeling it, she can't walk the school corridors without experiencing it and, now that teenage girls are disappearing in her rural New Hampshire community, she can't go anywhere at all without constantly looking over her shoulder. Marjorie's reclusive parents have always told her the outside world isn't safe - she's starting to believe them.

Unlike her parents, though, Marjorie can't hide out in the hills. She's required by law to attend school. Even though her classmates snicker about the way she talks, her teachers raise their eyebrows at her bruises, and more than one boy makes it clear what he wants from her, Marjorie craves the normality of it all. When she's hired to help Arturo "Sands" Ivers, a 24-year-old stranger in town, build a church, she spends even more time basking in the freedom of life away from her cruel parents. As intoxicating as it is to be out from under their constant supervision, Marjorie's afraid to step too far away from her mother and father. She pities them, but mostly she fears what they will do if she dares defy them. The paycheck she brings them every month may be the only thing that keeps them from killing her outright.

As Marjorie grows more comfortable with her job as an assistant stonemason - and with her inscrutable boss - she feels her confidence growing. But will it be enough to save her from her parents' escalating sadism? Or the vicious murderer, who may be closer to Marjorie than she knows? Will it be enough to rescue her from the squalid fate for which she seems destined? Or will she become just another victim - of poverty, of abuse, and of a violent killer?

The Talk-Funny Girl by Roland Merullo is as depressing as it sounds, but it's also an evocative, intimate novel about one girl's resilience in the face of unspeakable abuse. It's personal, painful, and, ultimately, hopeful - although in a way that's imperfect enough to be believable. The story is not an easy one to read and yet, I couldn't put it down. While I can't say I loved The Talk-Funny Girl, I can say I won't forget it anytime soon.

My mountain of review books grows daily. To see a list of those currently in my possession (physical copies only—e-copies are not listed), click here.

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NOW READING:

Black Souls by Nicole Castroman

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The Orphan's Tale by Pam Jenoff

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Bookin' Around the States

- Alabama

- Alaska

- Arizona (1)

- Arkansas

- California (3)

-Colorado

- Connecticut (1)

- Delaware

- Florida

- Georgia

- Hawaii

- Idaho

- Illinois

- Indiana

- Iowa

-Kansas

- Kentucky

- Louisiana

- Maine

- Maryland

- Massachusetts

- Michigan

- Minnesota

- Mississippi

- Missouri (1)

- Montana

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- Nevada (1)

- New Hampshire

- New Jersey

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- New York (4)

- North Carolina (2)

- North Dakota

- Ohio

- Oklahoma (2)

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- Pennsylvania (2)

- Rhode Island

- South Carolina (1)

- South Dakota

- Tennessee (1)

- Texas (1)

- Utah (1)

- Vermont

- Virginia

- Washington

- West Virginia

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- *Washington, D.C.

13 / 50 states. 26% done!

2017 Modern Mrs. Darcy Reading Challenge

1. A book you choose for the cover—The Secret Ingredient of Wishes by Susan Bishop Crispell2. A book with a reputation for being un-put-down-able—The Missing Hours by Emma Kavanagh3. A book set somewhere you've never been, but would like to visit - The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny4. A book you've already read—Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling5. A juicy memoir—My Story by Elizabeth Smart6. A book about books or reading —The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan7. A book in a genre you usually avoid—Maus by Art Spiegelman8. A book you don't want to admit you're dying to read—Talking As Fast As I Can by Lauren Graham9. A book you were excited to buy or borrow but haven't read yet—The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan10. A book about a topic or subject you already love—Trials of the Earth by Mary Mann Hamilton

My Progress:

0 / 10 books. 0% done!

2017 Dystopia Reading Challenge

1. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline2. Wool by Hugh Howey3. The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood4. Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden5. One Second After by William R. Forstchen6. Across the Universe by Beth Revis7. Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky8. Born by Tara Brown9. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir10. Red Rising by Pierce Brown11. Consider by Kristy Acevedo12. Bluescreen by Dan Wells13. Starflight by Melissa Landers14. Frost by M.P. Kozlowsky15. Vicarious by Paula Stokes16. Replica by Lauren Oliver